![The new leadership at Dinuba Intermediate School (from left to right): Jessica Juarez (soon to be Jessica Chavez) - Learning Director, Rosa Carreon - Counselor, Hilda Osorio - Counselor, Gloria Valencia - Principal, and Micah Hiett - Learning Director. [Photo courtesy of Gloria Valencia]](https://emperorgrapevine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/682710295_18557787079066828_5882969838312812831_n-900x1200.jpg)
With winter finally turning into fall, the 25-‘26 boys basketball season has officially started. With only two returning players, Alexander Barragan and Michael Espirito, there are twelve new faces to the Emperor’s lineup. As young as they are, the Emperors are looking forward to a great season ahead of them–full improvement and determination.
Head Coach Jeffery Schofield and assistant coaches Tim Rico and Daniel Avila manage the team. The primary focus for this season is just as important as a winning record: improvement. Because his team is young, Scholfield emphasizes daily improvement, focusing on getting better with each practice. “We’re a pretty young team with not a lot of experience at the moment, so we’re just trying to get better every day, every practice, and every game. That’s our goal…” Schofield stated.
Schofield explains that the team’s strengths lie in the boys’ effort and dedication to one another. “The guys work really hard, and they seem to get along with each other and work well with each other,” he stated. The biggest challenge he mentioned is the lack of varsity experience. He plans to concentrate on strengthening the team’s offense, building on the lessons learned from last season.
“One thing we’re really focused on this year is offensively moving a little bit better, cutting harder, that kind of stuff. I think that was something we probably could have done a better job of last year than we’re trying to do this year,” Schofield said.
The Emperors host the highly anticipated annual Andrew Bedoya Holiday Classic Tournament from December 11-13. “Every game is going to be a challenge, so we’re just taking it one at a time,” Schofield stated. “We always look forward to our tournament…the Andrew Bedoya Tournament we host; that’s always a good time… We’re excited to play, for sure.”
A successful season for this group will be marked by clear and measurable improvement from now until the end of the season. Coach Schofield wrapped up with, “To see where we’re at in February compared to now and see the growth. Not only as a team but also in our players individually. If they continue to improve, I think we’ll consider that a success for this year.”
The Emperor’s hosted their first home game against San Joaquin Memorial on December 2nd. The final score was San Joaquin 69 to DHS 23.
